For Students

The SSERVI’s involvement in classrooms, public venues, and teacher professional development extends into the communities throughout the country with the help of the “Journey through the Universe” program.

Journey through the Universe is a national science education initiative that engages entire communities—students, teachers, families, and the public—using education in the Earth and space sciences and space exploration to inspire and educate. Journey through the Universe is a program of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, which facilitates Journey events in ten communities across the country.

This Journey program typically runs in February-March and it includes an astronomer workshop, a teacher workshop, and a master teacher training session.

Through audience participation, the family science events provide a family learning experience in exciting human space flight, Earth and space science subjects that are connected to the curriculum.

The heart of the program is a full week in which 48 astronomy educators (lunar scientists, astronomers and observatory engineers) are sent into classrooms to explain to over 8,000 K-12 students how they are exploring the universe. Classroom visits by these astronomy educators are designed to provide students with standards-based science content, allow students to personally interact with scientists and engineers, and inspire students to further their education in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

SSERVI’s participation in Hawaii’s Journey through the Universe program provides students and the public with a new understanding of recent, current, and future NASA lunar exploration. It also introduces them lunar-related educational resources available to classrooms and families. The SSERVI team leverages the Journey experience to engage the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems, the Imiloa Astronomy Center, and Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Space Center with NLSI lunar E/PO programs including International Observe the Moon Night and Exploration Uplink. It also provides an opportunity to recruit University of Hawaii students and local amateur astronomers to join NASA’s Lunar Meteoroid Impact Observation Program and participate in lunar research that will support the science of NASA’s upcoming Lunar Atmosphere and dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission.

The SSERVI team leverages the Journey experience to engage the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems, the Imiloa Astronomy Center, and Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Space Center in participating in NLSI lunar E/PO programs including International Observe the Moon Night and Exploration Uplink. It also provided an opportunity to successfully recruit University of Hawaii students and local amateur astronomers to join NASA’s Lunar Meteoroid Impact Observation Program in which they will be able to participate in lunar research that will support the science of NASA’s upcoming Lunar Atmosphere and dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission.